By John Wofford ‘12
Published on
One thing you can’t call Jon Turner is a quitter.
A 2003 graduate of Aquinas College with a major in Health and Physical Education, Turner is preparing for a competition many thought he might never see. When a 2009
car accident left Turner and his wife Allison, also an Aquinas graduate, in critical
condition, it was feared that he and his wife’s athletics days were over. After a
trying period of recovering and re-learning his physicality, Turner completed half
of an Ironman competition in 2010 and is gearing up for a full Ironman late this year.
The Ironman is a long-distance triathlon race that has become famous across the world
for its intensity, length and demand on athletes. Often televised, the Ironman features
some of the world’s most talented contestants. Turner remembers seeing such a televised
race years ago. In it, two female athletes collapsed moments before they were to cross
the finish line. Instead of giving up, the women hoisted themselves and crawled across
the line. While that image has always stuck with him, it was believed Turner would
never be able to compete following his extensive injuries.
Turner’s injuries were so bad he said his family initially feared that one of his
feet would be amputated. Once he was stabilized and conscious of what had happened,
Turner began to consider his future. “I decided I wanted to do this before I was even
able to walk with a cane,” he said of the Ironman. Once he was up on a cane, he told
his family his plans. Despite the obvious challenges of such a comeback, Turner’s
family has been extremely supportive. This love has come from friends and members
of the community as well.
Turner recalls a particularly poignant moment during his recovery process while at
the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, when he was visited by
Sister Alice Wittenbach of Aquinas: “I was working on speech therapy because of my
concussion. (…) My back was to the door, my mom was sitting to my right, and the therapist
was at my left. Sister Alice couldn’t see my face. But she walked over and put her
arm on me. She just gave me a hug and said, ‘It’s going to be okay, Jon.’ I have no
idea how she knew I was there, or that she even remembered me, but she’s the greatest
person ever!”
With support and love from friends, family, and members of the Aquinas community,
Turner began the difficult process of recovery. He recalls the first time he tried
to run after his accident: “My goal was just to run a very easy two miles on the treadmill.
I barely made it a mile… I felt like crying almost because it hurt so bad. I was very
disappointed in how my body was reacting.” Yet Turner refused to quit. Over time,
his physicality returned.
Turner decided that his Ironman competition could be used as a fundraiser for The
Hope Network, a non-profit organization with headquarters in Grand Rapids, because
of its role in his wife’s recovery process. “We - myself and Allison - owe [her recovery]
to her doctors and her therapists. She spent a lot of time, three months, at the Hope
Network. Because of their efforts, she is fine. It was a no-brainer that the money
should go there.”
Turner prepares for the competition on a daily basis, and he admits the work is challenging
from a time, as well as physical, standpoint. “My weekends are full of biking and
swimming and running. I’m glad my wife supports me in this. It would be really hard
for a married couple if someone didn’t want to do this all the way.”
Sitting in the heat of a summer day by the Aquinas athletic field, Turner smiles and
shares his outlook on life. “It’s too bad that it would take such a severe event to
make you love life again- not that I didn’t love it before - but a new appreciation
for it. It’s really easy to just kind of coast through life. But now I’m happy that
it’s hot right now. It’s like, ‘this could be worse,’ you know? There’s always someone
who has it worse than you.”
For more information about Turner, the Ironman competition, or the Hope Network, visit http://www.facebook.com/triforhope.